Viibryd

[AchromaticRainbow]

Is anyone else trying it?  My doctor put me on it because I was so in love with all of Lexapro except for the brutal insomnia it gave me.  I'm kinda concerned, though, because it's only been FDA approved for, what, two months?  I started today, and the only thing different is the intense nausea that went away after half an hour, but I'm still concerned, mainly because my psychiatrist said that she usually doesn't like prescribing medication until it's been out for a year or so (so she can get feedback from other doctors), so I'm kinda like her guinea pig.  Yippie.

[gcalex]

With so many drugs available, did your dr. tell you why she thought this particular one was the right choice?  Does it reportedly have advantages over the others?

[AchromaticRainbow]

It's made by the same company that made Lexapro, Forest, and she said that it's being marketed as quite like Lexapro but without some of the side-effects, something which we're both skeptical about.  She says that she trusts Forest because of the accurate information it's given her in the past, and I trust her, but I still have that little voice in the back of my head worrying about it.

[gcalex]

If the doctor herself is skeptical of the claims, which you said, and you yourself are concerned, then I think you would be justified in going back to her and asking if it would be more appropriate to take something with a longer track record.  That is what I would do, but I tend to be a very active and skeptical patient.  My quick reading on this drug suggests it is being promoted as having lower sexual side effects, but that it seems to have a lot of GI effects. 

[heatherqb]

I heard they are selling it in a nice little package with a personal massager

Yeah, I know that was totally inappropriate

[Irishmanwrites]

Interesting. I have never heard of this med until today.

My own two cents are that it might be prudent to think outside of the box. We have enough SSRI's. Time to explore the melatonin class or something like remeron with more tolerability or a Buspar meets Prozac type drug.

The above said, good to see work is ongoing on meds for mood disorders.

[gcalex]

In my opinion when new drugs in the same class keep coming out, it's driven more by the fact that brand companies lose 90 percent of sales when their drugs go generic, and thus the need to have a new brand drug with several years of exclusive status, than by scientific advances.  So when a big blockbuster drug goes generic, that's usually when you see the new one come out.  I am personally more impressed when the drug companies come up with new concepts and ideas than when they recycle old ones just to keep profits up.  I haven't seen much evidence suggesting that the newer SSRIs are any better than the old ones, generally speaking.

[Irishmanwrites]

I welcome all meds onto the Market. Different classes especially welcome. That said I wouldn't be too critical of meds in the same class, as they too will undoubtedly save and improve some lives.

[sixpack]

okay this is a bit off topic but the discussion reminded me about a convo (IDK why) I had with my bro in law who is a psychiatrist.

apparently in september there is a new seizure med coming out (was told my my daughter's seizure specialist doc) that will be working on potassium channels rather than calcium (I think that is what he said) at any rate the neuro is CRAZY excited about it because it is a new way to control those with intractable seizures.

i mentioned it to my bro in law............. he rolls his eyes and says, "I give it 20 minutes before it starts getting prescribed for bi-polar"  lol.  IDK I told my daughter's neuro about that comment.  He said, "yep the psychiatrist are very quick about using the new neuro drugs for psychiatric issues."

[Irishmanwrites]

Interesting. Let there be no doubt however that there is clear link between neurology and psychiatry.

[sixpack]

maybe irish

but even my bro in law thinks it is a bit out there.

[Irishmanwrites]

Sixpack,

Going a tad further with your off topic point here, I'd be interested in members views on off label meds. I know it's increasingly more popular. Often we have antipsychotics for anxiety. This doesn't sit easily with me. We also seem to have pain/fibro meds for anxiety. That makes sense to me. Meds from common neurology practice often get prescribed too. I'm largely unconvinced here.

[sixpack]

I know trileptal and lamictal are anti-seizure meds.  My daughter has taken both.  She is still on trileptal.  Both are being prescribed for psychiatric issues including anxiety issues.  I believe keppra has too, which is interesting because it's "nickname" is Kep-rage.  My daughter was on it for years. Depakote (aka depabloat) which has been a godsend for my daughter's atonic seizures are also prescribed for migraines.  I think topamax has been used for anxiety type issues.  my daughter hasn't taken it.  It's nickname is "dopamax".  Geodon and risperadol are anti-psychotics.  My daughter took geodong for years now she is off of it and taking risperdone (generic of risperadol) for behavior issues. 

IDK if any of the anti-seizures are helpful with anxiety issues.  I do know they have their own bank of side effects.  In my daughter's case we just can't do without seizure meds.  She is on high doses of all three of hers.  She also has an intranasal seizure med for stopping seizures more quickly.  Even with all of this, she has breakthrough seizures.  today she had a complex partial.  Last Sunday and long tonic/clonic in which we used the intranasal one. 

So who knows if the other meds work.  I think psychiatrists are looking for other avenues and anti-seizure meds seem to be an option.

[Irishmanwrites]

The nicknames are amusing. Six Pack, you have fantastic honesty regarding your daughter. I'm sure she will be an inspirational person.

I really am not convinced re anti psychotic off label. I had a terrible experience with risperidone myself. I can't bear to think of it.

The advances in meds like the med this thread is all about are more mainstream clinically. Side effect profile is what manufacturers must and will target next.

[sixpack]

AR

I know I was the naughty one that got OT.  I apologize.  Those who have information actually helpful to AR's question about Viibryd, feel free to carry on.      I'm sorry I don't have such information. 

[AchromaticRainbow]

I'm at that point where I'm ready to try whatever a doctor prescribes, y'know?  If she says that it works for my anxiety and quick research of my own agrees, I'll take something for seizures.  We don't know most of the things that go on in the human body/mind, and to be quite honest, I'm not always sure that we know as much about medication as doctors claim, so if it works for my use, I could care less what it was originally made for.  I'm usually not so frantic about finding a medication that'll work now, but I'm going back to uni next semester after missing one because a medication threw me off track so much, and I'm anxious about going back and being surrounded by people.

I would like to see classes other than SSRI's being researched, though.  Yeah, sure, SSRI's are cool as cucumbers and whatever, but they aren't for everyone.

Sixpack:  I didn't feel as though you were naughty at all.  I actually really like topic that you posted; it was a good one.

[Irishmanwrites]

Best to stay on topic really though.

So the obvious question is hoe you are faring on this med, AR.

My thoughts here are it has to be worth trying. I myself have tried whats considered a brand new med and it was , as advertised, devoid of all side effects and cod be stilled cold turkey. It didn't do anything great though, so I stopped it.

I'd love for updates viibyrd.

Whilst on this subject, where did they get the name! Viibyrd? Unusual.

[AchromaticRainbow]

I'm feeling pretty manic on it.  It's 6:30 in the morning here, and I haven't gotten a wink of sleep; every time I lay down and close my eyes, my body begins to thrum with energy and if I don't get up and move my whole body is sore.  It's exactly what happened on Lexapro, but at least this time I knew what to look for and can adequately explain it to my psychiatrist, unlike last time when it slowly happened and the fade into the mania made it difficult to compare how I was feeling on the Lexapro versus how I felt off of it.  I don't know how much sense that makes, but come on, it's 6:30 and I've gotten about 15 hours of sleep in the past three days, so I'm just happy that I'm not typing out something along the lines of, "gbehwrbgwegniu."

I'm torn, though. I want off of this now, or I at least want to talk to my psychiatrist to see if something can be done to offset the mania, but there's no receptionist in the office on Fridays so I'm only supposed to leave urgent messages or call the number for the psychiatrist on call.  And since there are three or four psychiatrists there, the odds of getting mine are not in my favour and I'm not at the point in the medication where I feel comfortable talking to strangers, especially over the phone.

I got the sexual dysfunction already, which doesn't bother me since I'm uninterested in a relationship, but I feel it's relevant because the whole selling point of the product from the skimming of the website I did says that this is Lexapro but without the sexual side effects.  This is just Lexapro with quicker side-effects, IMO. 

Irishman:  Companies come up with the strangest names for medications, don't they?  I'm of the belief that the advertising section gets paid extra whenever they fit a "y," "z," or "x" in the name of the product.

[sixpack]

oh I'm sorry AR.

well---honestly, if I was feeling that badly, I'd ring up and get some help here.  Maybe you'll luck out and get your doc. 

[Irishmanwrites]

Hi A Rainbow: You have a great way with words and a very personal description of how your feeling makes me a tad disappointed for you.

Don't fear making a call to your psych. I've done it and he came back quick. It's your health and your mind, so do what you have to. We have to look after our corner.

I realise it's 11 PM here in Ireland, so you have rang by now I guess! I hope you did or feel better or have a strategy..

[AchromaticRainbow]

Thanks.  I think I'm just going to put it off until Monday and request to see her sooner.  I'm rather sure that I'm going to try and find any solution so that I can stay on this, which might turn into a full visit's worth of time.  Besides, when I was on Lexapro, I did this for almost four months because I loved it so much.  A few days with naps thrown around (I can always sleep during the day, go figure) will be perfectly fine.

[Irishmanwrites]

Great attitude. One of the three meds I'm on is a new med and isn't even licensed in the states, so I understand that there is a certain amount of new med apprehension too.

Its a challenging place you find in, but the ability to sleep during the day can only help!

If this med is so similar to lexapro, would a benzo be of benefit?

[constantmover]

Interesting thread!  I just want to touch on something that sixpack said....There are many seizure medications out there that are used for anxiety.  The first time I saw one of my daughter's meds mentioned on a forum, I was surprised, but I've learned over the years that off label meds for epilepsy are often used for anxiety with great success.  I actually take medication that was originally prescribed for epilepsy and now you see it more for anxiety. 

This new medication viibryd, in my opinion, is worth the try, but only to the extent that you can tolerate the symptoms and the worst of them go away after a few weeks.  When you get closer to the day you go back to university, I'm sure you will want to feel that your mental health is in check so you can start fresh without too much additional worry.  It's great to be on the ground floor of something new, but only if it truly benefits you in the long run. 

[AchromaticRainbow]

Ug, I officially hate Viibryd.  I went off of it because I had a bit of an allergic reaction to it (same one I had on Lexapro that my psychiatrist made me feel stupid about for thinking it could have anything to do with the medication because it didn't happen quickly) and I'm so crazy emotional.  I've gone off plenty of drugs in the past, many cold-turkey, but this one is absolutely miserable.  I have so much brain-fog that I don't know if I'm awake or dreaming and I'm crying like crazy and I'm a bit mean and I'm so offended by everything and my sleep was horrible last night; I was so nervous about getting to sleep that my eyes would be physically stopped from rolling back in my head enough to sleep in what felt like a non-violent shove, and then when I would get to sleep I was so anxious about it possibly being a bad dream that I forced myself awake half a dozen times.  This is not a cold-turkey medication.

Hope that someone else tries it and has a much better reaction to it.

Also, Irishman, thank you for your nice words. They made me cry in a good way (which isn't all that hard to do today, but is greatly appreciated).  I have no idea if a benzo would be of any benefit or not, but my current psychiatrist is completely against using anything that isn't an SSRI.  She says it's because of the side-effects and the addiction.

[Irishmanwrites]

Hi Rainbow,

This is off topic for a moment, but I am floored horizontally by the way you write. It's quite genius. I hope your going to study English literature or journalism because you've flair!

Back to the Viibyrd. It's a pity it didn't work for you , but was definitely worth a shot. You have to try various meds before you get settled! There are still options for you. I had only mentioned benzos because they can be used as a starter band aid with SSRI's.

You have to look forward not back now. When's your next appt ? What meds from research would you be hopeful for trying?